Drainage-excavator.



M, G. BUNNELL. DRAINAGE E XCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 28, 1910- Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SH EETS-SHEET 1.

M. G. BUNNELL.

' DRAINAGE EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 05c. 28, 1910.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I @wg WM) lmp .I v v p entree snares rarnnr orrien MORTON G'. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, TO FREDERICK C. AUSTIN, OF

' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAINAGE-EXCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

Application filed December 28, 1910. Serial No. 599,665.

vators of that general type in which an I excavating bucket or scoop is arranged to travel upon a track or runway having one or more bends or angles in the length thereof, necessitating one or more changes in the direction of travel of the said bucket or scoop during the use of the same for excavating purposes.

Prior to my invention, it was customary to provide one or more cables or chains or other similar flexible connections for operating the said bucket or scoop, and to arrange the said cables or chains in such manner that they traveled upon sheaves or other anti-friction devices disposed at intervals along the length of the track or runway, whereby the said cables or chains were guided and held to a line or direction of travel approximately the same as that of the bucket or scoop. Obviously, however, it wasimpossible to arrange the said cables or chains in such manner that the would exert a direct and straight forward pull on the bucket or scoop throughout the entire range of movement of the latter, inasmuch as the said sheaves or anti-friction devices for guiding the cables or chains could not be arranged directly in the path of travel of the bucket or scoop, whereby more or less side draft was always exerted upon the said bucket or scoop, particularly at the curves or angles in the runway, the cables or chains at these places often departing considerably from the direction of the runway. In other words, the arrangement was often such that the cables or chains did not follow the line or direction of the runway in rounding a curve or turning a corner, but to the contrary would take a short cut from one point to another inside of such curve or angle, thus increasing the side draft on the bucket or scoop, and causing it to bind and run hard in the runway. With such arrangement, provision had to be made for guiding the bucket or scoop past the sheaves or other devices for guiding the cables or chains. So far as I am aware, this,

set forth and claimed.

always resulted in more or less side draft on the bucketthat is to say, a pull on the bucket in a direction atan agle to the direction of the runway, whereby, as explained, the bucket would tend to cramp or bind in the runway during the use of the same for excavating purposes.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of an improved construction and arrangement for eliminating side draft on the bucket or scoop as it travels along the runway of an excavator of the foregoing general character.

A special object of my invention is the provision of an arrangementwhereby the operating cables or chains for the bucket or scoop are provided with wheels or other devices carriecl at diflerent points in the length thereof and adapted to travel in the same runway in which the said bucket or scoopment whereby the structure of the runway is made stronger than heretofore, and whereby the up and down adjustment of the runway does not involve the lifting and lowering of as much bulk and weight as heretofore.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of improvement and combinations tending to increase the general etficiency of a drainage excavator of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends,

my invention consists in matters hereinafter In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a front or end elevation of a drainage excavator embodying the principles of my invention, showing the same with the runway thereof raised out of the ditch or excavation. Fig. 2.is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the runway of the machine lowered into the ditch or excavation, and

showing the buckets in position to load and unload in their back and forth travel across the ditchthat is to say, as they travel back and forth from one side of the ditch to -the other. Fig. 3 is a detail view of'a portion of one of the operating chains for the excavating buckets, showing one of the wheels with which the same is equipped. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the excavating buckets or scoops-that is to say, one of the two excavating buckets with which the machine is equipped, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is a detail cross section on the line 55 in Fig. 1, showing the construction of the two track or double runway, and

showing the spreader rods by which the two bucket operating chains are spaced apart,

and showing the wheels by which the said operating chains are supported in the tracks of the runway. I

As thus illustrated, the body of the ma chine A may be of any suitable, known or approved construction. As shown, it is provided withwheels a adapted totravel on tracks a at opposite sides of the ditch or excavation B. In this way it will be seen that the machine is of that type in which the body straddles the ditch or excavation, as the excavator moves along, and in which provision is made for dumping the displaced or excavated dirt at each side of the ditch. The body of the excavator is provided with an upright frame C consisting of two uprightguide members 0 spaced apart and rigidly connected by cross rods or beams 0, 0 their lower ends being connected to the platform or body of the machine. Supported in part at least by the cross bar 0 is a superstructure or frame D which is provided at its upper'end with a bracket bearing d, and with a pair of sheaves cl, it being observed that these sheaves'are mounted to rotate about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally or inthedirection of the ditch. It will be seen that the frame or superstructure D is also braced and held in place by rods or beams (P, which have their lower ends secured on the body or platform' A, and which have their upper ends suitably secured to the bracket plate d, as illustrated.v A pair of upright channel irons E are arranged to slide up and down and upon the guides c, and are connected t0- gether near their upper ends by a cross bar e. That portion F' of the runway which is substantially U-shaped or V-shaped in character, and which determines the cross sectional contour of the ditch, has its outer ends secured to the outer ends of the beam or cross bar 6, and has its intermediate portion secured to the lower ends of the vertically disposed channel irons E, whereby a rigid frame is provided which is adapted toslide up and down on the framelike structure rigidly supported on the platform or body of the machine. The outer or pivoted sections G and H of the. runway have their lower or inner 'QIlClSPlVOlZQd at g and h to the outer ends of the mlddle section F of'the runway, and have their outer ends providedwith sheaves g and h, as illustrated. Each outer swinging or pivoted sectionof the runway, as well as the middle section thereof, is composed of two parallel channel irons, as for example g and 9 as shown in Fig. 5, whereby a double track is provided throughout the length of the runway thus constructed.

Any suitable means may be provided for spacing apart and rigidly holding inposition the two. sides of the section F of the runway. The two sidesof the outer sections are, however, preferably rigidly connected together. by arches composed of transverse channel lrons secured to the upper ends of the angle irons, the lower ends of which latter are rigidly secured to,

the runway. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the outer section G of the runway has its sides providedwith angle irons 9 the upper ends of which angle irons are rigidly connected together by channel irons 9 thus providing two arches which the effectconnect together the. two sides of the runway. Thus the two tracks or two sides of the runway are definitely and accurately providing two channels which face each other and provide tracks or ways for the wheels of the operating chains. As shown,

there are two operating chains 1, one at each spaced'apart throughout the length thereof,

side of the runway, and these two chains are 7 connected at intervals by spreader rods 2', each rod being provided at its outer end with a wheel 1', (see Figs. 3, 4t and 5). In this way the two parallel operating chains connected by their spreader rods form a flexible structure which is ladder-like in form, and the'wheelscz" .of which travel in the channels or grooves of the channel irons g g, as shown in Fig. 5. One end of the structure formed by the two. chains and their spreader rods is attached to an operating cable J which runs over the sheave hand one of the sheaves d, which then descends and has its lower end wound upon the drum K, which latter is operated by an engine on the platform or body of the ma- With this arrangement one of the said cables can be wound in while the other is paid out, which will result in causing the two chalns w th their spreader rodsand wheels to travel along the runway in one direction. A reversal of the drums will then example the wheels at and n shown in Fig.-

4:. It will also be seen by reference torthis same figure of the drawings that the chains are attachedby a single pivotal point to the sides of the bucket, as for example at n whereby when the Wheels of the bucket are caused to depart from the regular line of travel the bucket will be tilted to a dump ing position. In Fig. 2 the bucket N is shown in dumping position, while the bucket O is shown in position to load, the said bucket 0 being illustrated as just starting on its downward course across the ditch. WVith such arrangement it is necessary for one bucket to dump at one side of the ditch, and for the other bucket to dump at the other side of the ditch, it being observed that the mouths or open ends of the two buckets face outwardly and in opposite directions. For this purpose the runway section G is provided with a deflection or bend g near the upper end thereof,while the runway section II is provided with a similar deflection or bend k near the upper end thereof. When the wheels of the bucket N run into the bend or deflection g, the bucket is instantly thrown or tilted into the position shown in Fig. 2, and the load is dis charged from the mouth thereof onto the embankment at that side of the ditch. On the other hand,'when the bucket O is caused to travel across the ditch, and when its wheels encounter the bend or deflection if, it is then tilted into a dumping position and its load discharged on the embankment at that side of the ditch. The back and forth motion of the two operating chains'results, therefore, in an alternate filling and dumping of the two buckets, one bucketbeing caused to fill while the other is being carried to starting point, and vice versa, and each bucket being caused to dump at the same time that the other bucket arrives at the starting point of its course of travel.

Throughout the entire range of travel of the buckets the two operating chains are held in alinement with the runway, so that the pull exerted on. each. bucket is always in a straight line, and never in a direction oblique or at an angle to the direction of the runway. In this way side. draft on the.

bucket is completely eliminated, and each bucket is enabled to round a curve or turn a corner without encountering heavy side draft, such as was heretofore more or less ating chains is in the same direction along the same line as that of the buckets. The operating chains or other flexible connections never pull at an angle to the direction of the runway, and consequently the buckets are never caused to bind or run hard in the t runway, as was heretofore more or less the case with excavators of this kind.

It will also be seen that by the provision of the booms or pivoted braces P and Q, a portion of the weight of the runway structure is supported directly upon the frame of the machine. The outer ends of these members P and Q are pivotally secured respectively to the outer ends of the runway sections G and H, while their inner ends are pivotally secured to the bracket plate d, or in any other suitable manner to the upper end of the superstructure D of the frame of the excavator. Thus when the runway structure israi sed and lowered, the entire weight thereof is not carried up and down, as a portion of the weight of the members Panel Q is supported directly upon the frame of the excavator. In addition, the runway structure is rendered much stronger and more reliable in use, inasmuch as the draft or pull of the-operating cables J and L is exerted in a direction lengthwise of the membersP and Q, so that the pull of each cable does not tend to strain or break the outer ends of the runway. In other words, the pull of each cable is resisted and taken up entirely by the endwise thrust or bracing eifect of the members P and Q, one at each side of the machine, so that no straining eflect is exerted by these cables upon the upper ends of the runway. IVith the arrangement thus described, it will. be seen that the raising andlowering of the runway isac companied by a slight swinging movement of the outer sections thereof about their pivots g and h, due to the fact that the mem bers P and Q swing about pivots or axes at their inner ends. Preferably the said braces or. members P and Q are equipped with tracks extending in continuation of the tracks 9 and g ,wl1ereby the wheels 2" and the chains to which they are attached are supported after leaving the upper ends of the runway. As shown in Fig. 1, the buckets are at the left of the excavator, and con:- sequently the operating chains for the said buckets have been carried around the upper end of the runway G, and the wheels 2' are shown resting upon the said tracks with ice which the member P is equipped. When the buckets are caused to travel to the other side of the excavator, then the operating chains and the said wheels 71 travel upwardly and around the upper end of the runway section'I-I, and are carried onto the tracks with which the member Q is equipped. In this way the operating chains and the wheels and the spreaders z are supported and prevented from sagging whenever they leave the upper-ends of the runway.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

WhatzI claimas my invention is:

1. In an excavator, a pivoted runway, an excavating bucket adapted to travel back and forth thereon, a flexible connection for operating the bucket on the runway, extending a distance along the runway, in front and rear of the bucket, wheels on said flexi- I ble connection, traveling on said runway,

cables connected with said connection, and

drums for operating said cables.

2. In an excavator, a pair of oppositely facing and alternately operating buckets, a runwav for said buckets, wheels for said buckets, a pair of flexible connections for operating said buckets in a back and forth manner upon the said runway, wheels on 30 ers for engaging said runway, and means in-' cluding cables and drums for operating said flexible connections to cause said buckets to travel back and forth on the runway.

4t. In an excavator for making a ditch, an excavating bucket, a runway therefor adapt ed to be lowered into the'ditch to determine the cross sectionalcontour thereof, a pair of flexible connections for operating said bucket on the runway, spreaders for spacing the two flexible connections apart, means on said spreaders for engaging said runway, and means including cables secured to the ends of said connections for operating the flexible connections to cause the bucket to travel I back and forth on the runway from one side of the ditch to the other, said spreaders supporting the said flexible connections.

5. In an excavator, a double track runway, a pair of chains spaced apartand provided outside thereof with wheels traveling in thetracks of said runway, and an excavator bucket pivoted upon and disposed be tween said chains, together with means for tilting the bucket to dumping position, and

cables and drums for operating said chains.

6. In an excavator, an excavating bucket,

a pivoted runway therefor, a brace pivoted to the outer end of said runway, means for pivotally supporting the inner end'of said brace, a flexible connection for operating the bucket on the runway, and a track on said brace for supporting said flexible connection when the bucket moves to the outer end of the runway.

7. In an excavator, a runway, means for moving the same up and down, an excavating bucket adapted to travel back and forth on the runway, a brace for the outer end of the runway, a flexible connection for operating the bucket, and a track on the said brace for supporting the said flexible connection when the bucket moves to the outer end of the runway.

8. In an excavator, a runway, a bucket adapted to travel back and forth thereon, a flexible connection for operating said bucket, a frame, a brace connecting the outer end of the runway with said frame, devices on said flexible connection to guidethe samealong the said runway, and means on said brace for guiding said devices to support the flexible connection thereon when the bucket moves to the outer end of the runway.

9. In an excavator, a runway adapted to enter the ditch to determine the cross sectional contour thereof, a bucket adapted to travel back and forth on said runway, a flexible connection for operating the bucket, devices on the flexible connection for guiding the same along the runway, braces for the outer ends of the runway, and means on said braces for guiding'said devices along the length thereof to support the said flexi ble connection whenever the movement of the bucket is such as to cause a portion of the said connection to leave either end of the runway.

10. In an excavator, a runway adapted to enter the ditch to determine the cross sectional contour thereof, a pair of oppositely facing buckets adapted to travel back and forth on said runway, means for moving the runway up and down, a flexible connection for operating the buckets on the runway, swinging braces extending to'the outer ends of said runway, devices on said flexible connection for guiding the same along the runway, and means on said braces for engaging said devices to support the opposite end portions of said flexible connection thereon.

11. In an excavator, a runway having a bend therein, an excavating bucket on said runway, a flexible draft connection extending from the bucket along the runway, a series of supports secured to said connection, each said support engaging the runway to maintain said connection in the direct line of draft while passingaround said bend, means attached to said connection to pull the bucket along the runway, devices for causing a discharge of the load when the bucket reaches a predetermined point on the run of said braces are pivoted, and means for Way, and instrumentalities for drawing the raising and lowering said runway. 13' bucket back in the opposite direction, said Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois,'this bucket having the same path of travel for 17th day of December, 1910.

5 both movements thereof, pivoted extensions MORTON G. BUNNELL.

of said runway, braces pivoted to said exten- Witnesses: sions, adapted to receive said supports, a R. KEARNS, stationary support to which the inner ends R. SCHNEM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

